Since You've Been Gone
by kiefer4ever
Summary: Takes place at the end of season 4 episode 12. Some spoilers. TonyMichelle - Can they work it out? Ignore anything past ep 12. Rewritten Chapter 2 up!
1. Since You've Been Gone

Hey everybody, this takes place at the end of episode 12 of season 4. If you haven't seen it, don't read, minor spoiler! Tony's at CTU, and Michelle's back, and he's working for her. Will it be awkward? Will they get back together?

**Disclaimer**: Nah, don't own 24 or any of the characters (yet).

* * *

"Do you know her?"

Secretary Heller was looking past Tony and into the hallway. Tony turned his head to see what he was looking at and saw Michelle walking in.

Tony was stunned. Confused even. He had mixed emotions. He felt the love they once shared and it was as strong as ever, at least from him, but he also felt sadness and hurt, he remembered the day she left him.

* * *

"_Tony"_

"_Yeah Michelle? I'm kind of in the middle of watching TV here."_

"_Can you turn it off, just for a few minutes, we really need to talk."_

"_Come on Michelle, can it wait, the game will be over in 10 minutes."_

"_Tony, I'm not going to compete for your attention with a television. I love you but I don't think you love me anymore."_

"_Michelle of course I love you, it's just that it's a good game."_

"_Why don't you start showing it sometimes?"_

"_Showing what?"_

"_Your love for me, that you care for me, even just a little."_

"_Can I start showing you in 10 minutes?"_

"_Tony" _Nothing, not a sound. _"TONY!"_ Nothing again. _"Oh just forget it, it's like talking to a brick wall."_

"_Okay Michelle, the games over, just let me grab and beer and we'll talk…where are you going?"_

"_Tony I said I've had enough with competing with a TV for your affection, and I've had enough with your drinking, you're always so drunk."_

"_I'm not drunk now"_

"_Tony it's 10am, you'll be drunk in an hour or so and until than you just watch TV, we never go anywhere anymore, you don't have a job, you're not even trying to get a job, I just…"_

"_Michelle no one will hire me"_

"_Not with that attitude they won't, but if you stopped drinking and started trying to get a job, maybe just maybe you would get one, or at least start to feel better about yourself. I don't care if you have a job, I just care that you are trying, trying to live. The past 4 months since you got out of jail all you have done is drank yourself into a stupor and I'm sick of it. I'm leaving"_

"_Michelle, please, give me another shot"_

"_Tony, you said that 2 months ago, you went to one job interview, they didn't want you and you came home and gave up."_

"_Please Chelle, I love you"_

"_That would have worked at one point in time but I'm too frustrated and angry for that to work"_

"_Please Chelle…"_

_Tony watched as Michelle walked out the door and out of his life for a long time._

* * *

She looks just as beautiful as the day we first met. I can't believe I was stupid enough to let her go.

"Yeah we were married"

"Are you going to be okay, you working under her and all?"

"Yeah I'll be fine, when I used to run this place; she was my 2nd in command. We get along fine." Well I hope we do, I haven't heard from her in over 7 months, he wanted to say.

* * *

"Hi Ms. Dessler, I'm Sara Gavin, and this is Curtis Manning. We're here if you need anything or you have any questions."

"I think I'll be fine, I worked here for over 4 years until…" Michelle trailed off.

"Well okay than, you're going to be in Ms. Driscoll's office."

"Yeah I know, Tony's old office…"

"You know Tony?"

"Yeah, we were married for a while…but I haven't seen him for quite some time…wait how do you know Tony?"

"He's right over there." Sarah pointed to the room where Tony and Heller were still talking.

Michelle's jaw dropped. "Wha… What is he doing here?"

"Jack needed his help, and than I guess he got re-instated"

"Jack's here?"

"Well out in the field, Tony has been the acting CTU director for the last 45 minutes or so."

"Okay, thanks." Michelle headed up to her office. She needed to settle in and talking to Tony would be of no help. It would get her confused and distracted and that was the last thing she needed. She was glad though that wasn't drunk and he wasn't sitting at home watching TV.

* * *

Tony watched Michelle walk up the stairs. He couldn't believe she was here, and now that he'd seen her again, he wanted her back.

In the last 7 months all he had to do was pretend that she had never existed and was only a dream. It was a lot easier to get over her when he didn't have to see her. Of course he never was over her, but being drunk sure did help take away any emotions and feelings he had for her. It numbed him, anytime he started to think about her, he'd drink more. But with her right in front of him, it seemed surreal, it brought back every emotion and feeling he ever had about her. He wanted the hurt to go away, he wanted her to love him again.

He knew what he had to do, he had to stop drinking, stop watching so much TV and get a job. It didn't matter where, just something to help fix his life and get Michelle back. He knew he could win her back. And to start, he was going to go up to her office.

_

* * *

Knock Knock_

"Come in"

Tony slowly opened the door. He was nervous; after all it had been 7 months since he'd seen her.

"Hi Michelle."

"What are you doing here?"

"Well Jack called me up earlier this…"

"I know that, but what are you doing here, up in my office?"

"Well, I just uh wanted to say hi and uh if you need me my extension is 3402 for the day."

"Thank you Tony, anything else?"

"Well I need to brief you on what we've been doing for the past couple of hours."

"Alright, I'll be down in a few minutes. Thank you Tony"

Tony nervously nodded his head and headed downstairs. It had been an awkward conversation but at least he had talked to her, even if it was just for a moment.

* * *

Michelle was confused, he seemed to have almost turned his life around and she still loved him, but he had hurt her badly and she had just started to get on with her life, she had dated a few men casually and no none of them were even close to what she had with Tony, but who was she kidding she had nothing with Tony anymore, he'd gone to jail and come home isolated.

Michelle headed downstairs. She wasn't sure if she wanted to talk to him in private about their relationship, or ignore that they had ever been married. She got to his desk and right away she knew what she had to do.

* * *

Okay that's all for now! I hope you like my new story. Please review! If it's no good I'll stop now.

**Chapter 2: Will she ignore what they had, or will they have a talk about it?**


	2. Missing you

Hey…sorry it's been a while. I've been busy and just had no inspiration. But I finally wrote this chapter! Thanks for all the reviews! Ignore anything that happens between Tony and Michelle past 7pm where Michelle first arrives (the 12th episode). I rewrote the whole chapter because I wasn't happy with the chapter I put up before this one (the original ch.2 if you read it) I didn't like where it was going.

Joe's Girl: Thanks for the review. I understand what you mean by it being out of character for Michelle and Tony, but well I guess I see Michelle and Tony being like that sometimes. And this chapter, I think they are back to there old selves again.

**Disclaimer**: I seem to have misplaced the paperwork saying I own 24.

* * *

"Okay Tony, I need to know what's happened in the last hour, specifically what CTU has been working on. Are there any new leads?"

Michelle stood beside where Tony was sitting.

"Well uh, we have no new leads as of yet, Edgar is working on putting together a folder on Marwan, and Curtis…"

_Ring Ring_

"Almeida. Yeah I'll send her over"

"Michelle that was Curtis, they need you over in tech 1, they think they may have found something"

"Okay" Michelle replied in barely a whisper. They were nervous and hostile around each other. They didn't know how to act with one another yet.

"Do you uh need my help?"

"No, we'll be fine. Just keep working on whatever needs to be done"

Tony watched as Michelle walked away. Man he missed her. He wanted to just grab her and kiss her. He knew he couldn't though. He had to get back to work. He needed to push the thoughts of Michelle out of his head. But how could he? He loved her, he wanted her back, but there was no way she would ever take him back.

* * *

Michelle's thoughts revolved around Tony on her way over to Tech 1. She needed to concentrate on the day's events but seeing Tony today was hard. He seemed to be doing fine without her. How did he get reinstated anyways? Why is he back at CTU? Shouldn't he be drunk right now? Maybe she should lower his security clearance; it can't be good that a normally drunken Tony is at CTU on the day of a crisis…can it?

Michelle finished up with Curtis and headed back to Tony's station. Of course he wasn't there. He's probably off getting drunk somewhere. Couldn't take being sober for so long...

She looked over towards Edgar's station and saw him hard at work with Edgar. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he had changed his ways. Nah – Tony stop drinking? Please, he couldn't even do that when she threatened to leave. He couldn't even slow down his drinking. All she wanted was an improvement, maybe looking for a job once every week, 4 beers instead of 5 in a day. Coming home from the bar at 1am instead of 3am. She didn't ask for much. She just wanted a little bit more, she had pleaded with him, but he didn't care, so she left. He wouldn't...he couldn'tchange all of a sudden.

"Tony can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"I'm going to lower your security clearance to a level 2 instead of level 4."

"Why?"

"Because normally you arepassed outfrom drinking too much by now, and well…just because you got re-instated doesn't mean you get respect from me"

Tony couldn't believe his ears. He thought things were going fine for them. He thought he had proved himself to everybody today.

"If you don't want me here Michelle, just say it. I proved myself this morning, and I thought I had proved myself to you but apparently not."

"Tony…I do want you here, I'm glad to see you not drunk and taking some responsibility for the first time since well uh…"

"Exactly, I'm doing everything right…so what's wrong?"

"I don't think you're ready for that much responsibility yet"

"Michelle today has been an amazing eye opener for me. It reminded me how much I miss my job, my old life and you."

"You miss me?"

"How could I not Michelle?"

"You even notice I'm gone? Wait don't answer that. We shouldn't…we can't do this now. We're in the middle of a crisis and we're talking about missing each other"

"You miss me?"

"Yes, but that's beside the point. Can we talk about this later?"

"Yeah, you're right. You're always right" Tony whispered the last part as she walked away. She was always right. She was right the day of the bombing that there was something between them, an energy, a spark. She was right to ask him out, he had been to chicken to do that, she was right to kiss him the first time, she was even right to leave him. He wasn't a good husband. After he got out of jail, he dwelled on that day, he couldn't get a job so he just gave up and took up watching TV and drinking. He barely even noticed her after he got out of jail...

_

* * *

Ring Ring_

"CTU – Dessler"

"How come I have access to level 4 security access? I thought you lowered me to a level 2"

"I was going to, but I changed my mind. I was being unfair to you. I wouldn't have lowered anyone else's. I only did it because I knew what you were like at home lately. You don't have any reason to be here today, but you are. You could have turned your back on jack and he and Audrey would have being killed. But you didn't. You helped out a friend in need. You've been nothing but a big help to everybody today, including me. I'm sorry for being unfair"

"You don't have to apologize Michelle. Last time you saw me I was in a drunken stupor watching TV, and I let you walk out of my life."

"Tony…"

"I know we are busy today, with Marwan and all, but I was wondering if maybe at the end of the day we could go out for coffee and talk about us"

"Tony I uh…"

"Never mind, don't answer that, it was a stupid thing for me to ask. I put you in an awkward position. I better uh go see if Curtis needs help with anything. Bye Michelle"

Tony…I would like that. Was that so hard? Why couldn'tI say that when he was on the phone? Now he's hurt. Why do I care he's hurt? He hurt me so much…but he's changed…and I don't like when he's hurt, it hurts me. I need to fix this and now.

Michelle headed downstairs. Tony was back at his desk. "Tony, do you have a minute?"

"Yeah, what is it Michelle?" Michelle looked into his eyes. She could see the hurt and disappointment.

"Before, on the phone, what I meant to say was uh…I would like that. I think we need to talk about us. If we should try again or forget about it and file for divorce. Think about what you want. We'll grab coffee when we are done here"

"I know what I want Chelle and you know it"

"I know. I uh...I have to go see if Edgar needs any help. Where's Chloe?"

"Driscoll suspended her for helping Jack when Jack was working against her orders"

"Can you get her back here now? Thanks"

Tony watched Michelle walk away. At first they had been awkward and cruel to each other. But now, now they were going to talk about there relationship. He was worried though…A relationship or divorce? It's simply not that simple. On one hand he still had a lot of problems but on the other hand he didn't want to divorce her. He couldn't, he loved her too much.

**

* * *

Chapter 3: Divorce? A relationship?**

What do you want? Tell me in your reviews! Review please! Sorry I deleted the original chapter 2. I wasn't happy with it at all. Hope you like this one better. Please please please reviews. Reviews keep me going


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